Life

Bruce Beutler was born in Chicago, Illinois, but grew up in California. His mother was a journalist and his father a geneticist. After having studied to become a medical doctor at the University of Chicago, he conducted his Nobel Prize-awarded work at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas in the 1990s. He later returned to the center after having worked at Rockefeller University in New York, Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Chevy Chase, Maryland, and Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California. Bruce Beutler was formerly married and has three children.

Work

When bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms attack our bodies, our immune system goes to work. It has two lines of defence, the innate immunity and the adaptive immunity. Bruce Beutler and Jules Hoffman have contributed to our understanding of how so-called receptors detect microorganisms and activate our innate immunity. In 1998, by studying mice with mutations, Bruce Beutler found a gene which is active in the development of a receptor which binds lipopolysaccharide, a substance produced by several pathogenic bacteria.

Learn more

This year 12 new laureates have been awarded for achievements that have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind. Their work and discoveries range from cancer therapy and laser physics to developing proteins that can solve humankind’s chemical problems. The work of the 2018 Nobel Laureates also included combating war crimes, as well as integrating innovation and climate with economic growth. Find out more.

Explore prizes and laureates

Look for popular awards and laureates in different fields, and discover the history of the Nobel Prize.

Select the category or categories you would like to filter by

Select the category or categories you would like to filter by

Physics

Chemistry

Medicine

Literature

Peace

Economic Sciences

Decrease the year by one
Choose a year you would like to search in
Increase the year by one